Christmas at the Cullen's Farm
BPOV
The last time I visited the Cullen's farm, I was a little girl. It was Christmas.
It was very cold and snowy that day. The car was packed full of kids and presents. My big sister, Alice was a typical pre-teen, alternating between checking herself in the mirror and looking incredibly bored. My two older brothers, Jasper and Emmett, joked and wrestled with each other. They were like best friends. I slept through most of the trip, lulled to sleep by the snow falling gently outside.
When we finally arrived at the farm, the house and trees all around it were hung with long icicles. It was very quiet and peaceful. Esme Cullen, my mom's best friend, met us at the door and gave each of us a quick hug. Then she hurried back to her warm kitchen to work on Christmas dinner. Mom went with Esme to help, even though Mom couldn't cook at all. Alice headed to the old upright piano to practice scales for her piano lessons. Jasper and Emmett ran around, making lots of noise. I went straight to the fireplace.
Carlisle Cullen had already made a warm, crackling fire in their huge fireplace. He smiled when he saw me, and pointed to a stack of newspapers he had saved for me. Carlisle was a quiet, thoughtful man, and he didn't say much. I was pretty shy, so I didn't say much either, but we got along pretty well. I smiled and thanked him for the newspapers, then started to roll up each paper in a tight wad. I placed the papers carefully, one by one, into the fire and watched them burn. Carlisle and I sat together by the fire for a long time, feeding it papers and staring at the little blue flames flicker around the edges. It was so easy to be with Carlisle.
After a while, I started feeling really tired and crawled under the giant dining table. It was already set for dinner with the good silver and china, and the good Persian rug had been laid out on the floor underneath. I ran my fingers over the soft silk and listened to the sound of Alice playing "Silent Night" on the piano. My brothers were nowhere to be seen. Carlisle was falling asleep in his chair. I could smell roasted turkey and apple pie.
I jumped a bit when Esme's face appeared under the table, smiling at me.
"There you are!" she whispered, bending over. "I've been looking everywhere for you. I have a special Christmas present for you." She handed me something small, wrapped in tissue paper.
I crawled out from under the table and unwrapped the gift. It was a silver locket in the shape of a heart, hung on a silver chain, well worn and a bit tarnished. I opened the locket. It held a tiny photo of Esme on one side, and was empty on the other.
"My mother gave this to me when I was a little girl," said Esme gently. "Now I'm giving it to you, Bella, since I love you like my own daughter."
Esme had babysat me countless times when my mom was working late. Esme would've been a great mom, but she never had any children of her own. I always wondered why she didn't.
"Take good care of it," she said, "and maybe you can give it to your daughter some day."
"Thank you, Esme," I said. "It's very beautiful." I gave her a big hug and kiss. "I'll keep it safe," I promised.
The rest of that day was a happy blur. It was one of my best childhood memories.
A year later, my family moved across the country, and we lost touch with the Cullens. The last thing I heard was that they had to hire a young man, Edward Masen, to help them with their farm.
So this year, my freshman year at college, I'm finally going to visit the Cullen's farm again on my own. I hope Esme and Carlisle haven't changed much over the years.
"Please fasten your seat belts for landing," announces a voice over the Intercom.
My stomach lurches a bit as I feel the airplane's landing gear click into place. I've never been a comfortable flyer. As I tighten my seat belt, I wonder, vaguely, what Edward Masen will be like...